* Cultivating a Lifelong Learner: The Private-School Advantage (Connecticut Magazine, 2011) * What Does a 21st Century Education Look Like? (Connecticut Magazine, 2011) * Choosing the Right School (Connecticut Magazine, 2010)   Douglas J. Lyons Measuring What We Value: Assessing School Effectiveness (published in the 2012-2013 Independent School Guide; Moffly Media)   At the 2007 Annual Conference hosted by NAIS (the National Association of Independent Schools), Jim Collins, author of the best-selling book Good to Great, issued a challenge to the gather­ing of 3,000 independent school educators. Citing wis­dom derived from his analysis of over 1,400 businesses, Collins suggested that independent schools replicate a practice found in the world’s best-run companies. These are all companies that are deliberate and intentional in defining what they value most in their products or ser­vices— and they are adept at measuring what they value.   We are living in a new age; it is an era of amazing opportunities made possible by technology, but also a time of anxiety about the future. The current genera­tion of parents who are considering an independent school education for their children think and decide like consumers. They are interested in acquiring data on the benefits and outcomes (the “Value-Added”) of the independent school experience. Responding to these applicant families is a new challenge but one that is welcomed by the independent school community.   Any assessment of school quality in the twenty-first century should consider data that is derived from three sources: DIRECT EVIDENCE  Direct evidence in education refers to student achievement that is measurable and able to be referenced or benchmarked across a larger, perhaps national sample of students. Standardized tests serve this purpose. Although many independent schools use standardized tests, generally for ad-missions and/or faculty planning purposes, the tests represent only one of multiple measures of student achievement and are considered merely baseline information. Despite their increasing use in public schools, mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation, there are serious limitations to the value of these tests. Scantron bubble answer sheets graded by machines are capable of assessing performance in essentially low-level cognitive skills. Although performance on these tests is highly predictive of success in similar school-based tasks, it is of questionable value in predicting success outside of a scholastic environment. These tests do not measure twenty-first century skills (analytical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration). INDIRECT EVIDENCE   The Obama administration has awarded $370 million to a small group of test design companies. The expectation is that, beginning in 2014, there will be a new generation of standardized tests; tests (scored in part by humans!) that will be able to assess authentic and important capacities. Until these tests are available, indirect evidence will continue to be the more powerful data source. Indirect evidence operates under the assumption that if certain student behaviors, institutional practices and statistics exist, a high degree of learning and a high degree of student engagement are predictable. This data has proven to be reliable. For example, although parents often read and carefully review school curriculum guides that describe the content of courses and programs, it is far more valuable to know how students will be required to demonstrate learning. Two students may take the same course in two different schools, but be held to very different expectations. The following questions are appropriate to ask: » How often are students required to write? What types of writing are assigned? Do students confer with their teachers during the drafting stage? How do teachers respond to writing—do students simply receive a grade or do they receive a full critical review? » How (and how often) are oral communication skills assessed? What types of communication tasks are required (debates, individual and group presentations to the class, public speaking recitations or competitions, interviews conducted outside the school, theatrical events)? » How often and in what ways are students required to complete tasks in collaboration with other students? How do teachers manage and supervise collaborative learning? » How often are students engaged in activities that enable them to identify a personal interest or a real-world need and design a project that represents a potentially valuable contribution to others? » How is creativity fostered and/or celebrated? Other examples of indirect evidence include: » The percentage of students who participate in extra-curricular activities (a high percentage suggests an “all-hands-on-deck” school—a place of engaged, attached, motivated students, learning valuable social and leadership skills) » Student retention rates (omitting geographical relocations and financial hardship losses) » The percentage of families participating in Annual Giving (a high percentage indicates a high level of confidence and gratitude) » “Occasional Teacher Absentee” statistics. This statistic measures short-term public school teacher absence rates and is publicly reported by most states, including the State of Connecticut. A high rate (which I would define as anything over 5 days, on average) should be a concern to parents and school leaders. Independent schools are known for very low rates of OTA and are not required to report their data. APPLIED EVIDENCE  Applied evidence gauges the impact of the school experience “after the fact”. In my 42-year career as teacher, coach, superintendent of schools and independent school head, I have derived more broadly meaningful information from detailed alumni surveys than from any other source. Alumni, especially graduates from earlier decades, can speak of school influence, years after the experience, when institutional effects have had time to fully develop. Prospective parents should ask about the results of alumni and or parent exit surveys. Choosing a child’s precollegiate school or schools is a time-consuming task. It is also one of the most consequential decisions parents make in the care of their children. The early school experience establishes attitudes and habits of thinking. It is rare that a student discovers a love of learning after she has been admitted to Yale.